Braingle: 'Dying of Thirst?' Brain Teaser

Dying of Thirst?

Science brain teasers require understanding of the physical or biological world and the laws that govern it.

Puzzle ID:	#26761
Fun:	(2.7)
Difficulty:	(1.04)
Category:	Science
Submitted By:	Bware0313
Corrected By:	4demo

A man is walking through the Sahara desert, and is dying of thirst. His caravan was attacked by a group of brigands. He ran off, and the brigands let him live. He is desperately trying to find water, when he stumbles upon a random town. He goes up to a random man, and pleads for water. The Arab says 10 dollars. The man gladly paid him. The Arab handed him a jug that said H2O2. The man shouts, WATER! and drinks half of the bottle. He says his thanks, and walks off. After about 10 steps he falls to his knees, vomits, and dies. Why did he die?

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Comments

zonarita Nov 06, 2005	Bware what an honor to be first to comment on your wonderful teaser. I confess I didn't have the right answer, because I read what I thought it should have said not what it did say! I would not make a good scientist. I still learned something valuable.
flagger08 Nov 06, 2005	This teaser was kind of easy, but I think it was because of the wording. It could have been little more tricky if it were worded differently. It was a good teaser, though!
medster99 Nov 06, 2005	it was really easy, but fun. i got it the first time
safire2191 Nov 06, 2005	I think this teaser is extremely racey and I don't know how it got approved. With the war in Iraq I don't feel that this teaser is appropriate at all. It gives a message that arabs are blatantly killing others and that's not an okay message to give.
cnmne Nov 06, 2005	Oh, brother. PC run amuck.
redraptor50 Nov 06, 2005	This was a good one I got it right off, it is also known as hydrogen peroxide, GREAT WORK!! Loved it
redraptor50 Nov 06, 2005	By the way safire2191 I don't think Bware0313 meant anything by it. Since war is all over the place it could have been anywhere, but you have a right to your own opinion.
wizkid Nov 06, 2005	I knew the answer. YAY!
shenqiang Nov 06, 2005	I corrected it, and it might be easier to understand.
Bware0313 Nov 06, 2005	Ty all for the comments, i didnt mean for it 2 be racist. It could of been anywhere... And thanks for fixing that hydrogen peroxide thing, i was half asleep when i wrote it...
redraptor50 Nov 06, 2005	No problem Bware0313, I love science and this one was great 2 thumbs up and PLEASE keep these coming
LiaHarley Nov 08, 2005	I didn't know what this formula was, but I knew that H2O2 is not the formula for water!So can I say that I got it? I suppose so! Thanx for the teaser.
smarty_blondy Nov 08, 2005	Extremely easy. Here's some info to match: Hydrogen Peroxide can bleach human hair, hence the phrase peroxide blonde. It can make a brunette into a blonde into a second, as it can be found in cosmetics. Here's another interesting fact: Hydrogen peroxide was used by the nazis as rocket fuel, not as a cosmetic!
bookworm91 Nov 09, 2005	very good one! safire, i dont think this teaser was supposed to portray arabs in a bad light. the arab could just as well have been dutch or american or whatever. but that wouldnt have fit, so he used a local nationality. anyway, i thought it was clever. not to difficult, so it made me feel smart....lol
norcekri Nov 10, 2005	I'm still wondering a few things: (1) Why a desert dweller is carrying around a container of peroxide, labelled by chemical formula? (2) Why is he willing to sell it to a stranger in need of water? This doesn't match what I've read about the hospitality of any of the cultures that might match the situation. (3) Why did the Arab quote a price in dollars? Is this all taking place in the US or Australia? (4) Since when do "racy" and "racist" mean the same thing? Finally, keep in mind that this is a single instance of a long-established story type. I see a neither a pattern, nor abuse, that warrants labelling the submitter "racist".
The_Mad_Hatter Nov 23, 2005	Didn't know that!
coldfire Nov 28, 2005	easyyyy I agree that this teaser is racist.. but I agree that the teaser maker didn't mean it..
javajunkie Dec 13, 2005	THAT ISN'T A RACIST TEASER! For all we know the man himself could have made a mistake due to the fact that the lable on the bottle was a chemical formula and thought he was giving the man water!!! I personally take offense at the fact that ya'll jump to say this is racist. If you wanna see racist join the military like my boyfriend did...then talk to me as to why they can have stupid American/German/Chinese jokes and we can't even have a riddle based in that area. Grow up people. You aren't always goin to make everyone happy!
javajunkie Dec 13, 2005	Sorry bout blowing up like that. It was a really good teaser!
sebastian Dec 25, 2005	weird...............
trickyone Jan 02, 2006	Good teaser! Not racist
Warrior_Poet Jan 12, 2006	This teaser is really designed for 4th grade scientists. Far too easy.
jessjspieks Feb 09, 2006	I just finished a chem class last semester.....this was soo great
cat27514 Feb 26, 2006	ooo... I thought that was really easy... that's only because I learned about it while studying for the Science Bowl!! hehe. Wouldn't it taste different though? Or is hydrogen peroxide tasteless too? runs to go look it up
katieevs Mar 23, 2006	I got it right but only because I studied hard for my A level chemistry!!! Good Job
coolblue May 21, 2006	Hydrogen Peroxide?!?
vbguy101 Aug 19, 2006	I knew that!
jsdodgers Sep 29, 2007	easy, pretty good, but why would a guy in a desert have a jug of H2O2 to randomly hand a man who is dying from thirst?
nidhogg Dec 22, 2007	I am a bit surprised about how some pathetic people seem to think that this puzzle is racist. (I am not a racist and admit every country and religion has evil followers) But to be fair, the teaser owner did not mean any racism. And you must admit some Arabs do kill. They're not perfect!
uhhhh Apr 06, 2008	Oh, gosh. This is so simple. H2O is obviously water. H2O2?!?! Anyone can see that.
JZumun Apr 30, 2008	There was a rhyme about this: There was a thirsty freshman, He ain't thirsty no more. For what he thought was H2O Was H2SO4
TableElbows Aug 28, 2009	ARGHS! I know all about h2o and h2o2 but was just too fast.. It does pay off if you know how to read!!
omgland Dec 07, 2009	Aww that's too sad...